self-deprecating
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
A self-deprecating person knows her own weaknesses and shortcomings and isn't afraid to point them out, often in a humorous way. Some people are egotistical, always talking about how great they are. The opposite type of person is self-deprecating, dwelling on his own faults and even joking about how he's short, unsuccessful, or not that smart. Being self-deprecating is usually considered a good trait, a quality of someone with a wry sense of humor. When being self-deprecating goes too far, it can become self-loathing and self-sabotaging, which are less amusing forms of putting yourself down.
Vocabulary lists containing self-deprecating
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"No, I'm too thick," she said in typical self-deprecating style.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
His voice on the page is that of an obsessed but self-deprecating raconteur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Root was regularly self-deprecating about his own leadership during Stokes' tenure.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“I loved the fact that there was humor, and self-deprecating humor and a grouchy character,” says Chandler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
A year or so earlier, in an unwarrantably self-deprecating paragraph of a letter to her brother Buddy, she had referred to her own figure as “irreproachably Americanese.”
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
